The invention relates to an agricultural machine for soil-cultivation comprising a plurality of rows of cultivating tools, each row being arranged upon an axis running at an angle to the direction of travel of the machine.
A machine of this kind is described and illustrated in French Patent 1,501,969. Arranged in this machine in front of a row of plough-like tools is a row of freely rotatable discs the purpose of which is to cut the soil into strips which are then lifted by the plough-like tools and are placed upon plant-material lying on the ground. A final row of tools is designed to break up the strips of soil, but without picking up any plant-material.
This machine is limited by the fact that plant-material, which may consist of the remains of previous cultivation, or which has grown in soil not yet used for agricultural purposes, cannot be used as a natural fertilizer because it has not yet been adequately treated for composing in a decomposition process.